Tag Archives: Super Two

I really like what Noah Syndergaard told reporters in Port St. Lucie about his reaction to not being called up at the end of last season.

Realistically, it wasn’t going to happen as to protect his Super Two status.

After getting the call from GM Sandy Alderson, Syndergaard refused to sulk, but instead used it a source of motivation.

“It was kind of heartbreaking,” Syndergaard told ESPN. “I went home, let things relax a little bit, and then got back in my workout program and just enjoyed time in the offseason.

“But it was disappointing. To be in the big leagues has been my dream ever since I was a little kid. … I use it as a little extra motivation, because I don’t want to hear that phone call again.’’

Syndergaard is expected to open the season at Triple-A Las Vegas and join the Mets in June.

Syndergaard, 22, needs to develop a secondary pitch because scouts say he relies too much on his outstanding fastball. Normally, pitchers move up to the next level when they begin dominating the competition, something he did not do evidenced by his 2014 Vegas numbers: 9-7, 4.60 ERA and 1.481 WHIP in 26 starts.

By his own admission, Syndergaard said he wasn’t ready.

“Being in Triple-A, you’ve got guys who have been in the big leagues for a number of seasons. So they can hit a fastball,’’ Syndergaard said. “Hitting is timing, and pitching is throwing off timing. If you throw three fastballs on the heart of the plate, they’re going to time one up.’’

Nobody knows how good Syndergaard will be, but he has the right idea.

HARVEY TO THROW FRIDAY:Matt Harvey’s come back from Tommy John surgery will take another step Friday when he throws to hitters for the first time.

The plan is to take batting practice, but there’s even the chance the hitters won’t even swing, but to stand at the plate to re-acclimate him to having a batter in the box.

DUDA UPDATE:Lucas Duda’s side injury has been changed from a strained oblique to a intercostal muscle. He’s not expected to resume swinging until Friday.

ON DECK TOMORROW: Among other things, I’ll project the Mets’ Opening Day roster.

ESPN ranked the Mets’ farm system as the fourth best in baseball, and with it raised the possibility of which prospects we might see this summer at Citi Field.

This much seems clear, with the Mets vigilantly guarding their minor leaguers’ Super Two status, and barring an injury, the probability is we won’t be seeing these guys prior to June.

Here are five of the more intriguing prospects:

NOAH SYNDERGAARD: He’s the franchises’ top prospect, and with Matt Harvey on an innings watch, we will undoubtedly see him this year, perhaps prior to the All-Star break. Syndergaard averaged just under ten strikeouts per nine innings, but was an unimpressive 9-7.

KEVIN PLAWECKI: The catcher will open the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, but how long he stays there will be dependent on Travis d’Arnaud’s offensive production and if Plawecki can increase his power.

STEVEN MATZ: He split time last season between Single and Double-A, and will likely open the year at Triple-A, meaning Citi Field is possible in September. Being left-handed enhances his chances, especially if the Mets can move Jon Niese.

DILSON HERRERA: He made a positive impression last season and we will see him this year. How soon could depend on how well the Mets do, with a poor first half increasing the possibility of them moving second baseman Daniel Murphy.

BRANDON NIMMO: Because the Mets added Michael Cuddyer this offseason, there’s no rush to elevate Nimmo, their No. 1 pick in 2011. The Mets hoped to have him up by now, and his stock could plummet if he doesn’t show something this season. He hit a combined ten homers last year between St. Lucie and Binghamton, and similar production won’t cut it.

OJEDA OUT AT SNY: Say what you will about the Mets not having enough talent on the field, but they’ve always had top-drawer play-by-play announcers and analysts, both on radio and television. This year they will be short by one with the announcement studio analyst Bobby Ojeda will not return to SNY.

Reportedly, the network is in negotiations with former major league pitcher Nelson Figueroa.

MINAYA TO WORK FOR MLBPA: Former Mets general manager Omar Minaya left his position as a vice president of the San Diego Padres to become a special adviser with the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Minaya’s focus will be on international affairs and game development in the United States.

With the topic of cutting Matt Harvey’s innings comes the idea of a six-man rotation.

One reader threw it out there and my response was it was too bold for the Mets’ thinking. That’s part of it, but there other variables.

Baseball doesn’t change easily, and there was a time when the five-man rotation was a novelty. Six? It could happen sometime, but I don’t sense the Mets will be the trailblazers.

Here’s why I don’t think it will happen:

* Pitchers are creatures of habit, which are hard to break. They are accustomed to their present workload of starting every fifth day and adding another day would break that routine. Some might not mind, but Harvey, for one, would pitch a fit.

* Teams have made a considerable investment in their pitchers, and going to a six-man rotation would take away as many as seven starts a year. While that would be perfect for this season and Harvey, it won’t translate over the long haul. These guys want to pitch, and missing seven starts is a lot.

* The Mets have a plan for Noah Syndergaard, and it doesn’t include pitching before June and disrupting his Super Two status. Syndergaard will pitch this season, but not at the cost of moving up his arbitration year.

* The Mets are in position where things could break their way with their rotation and the last thing they want to do is make a move which would force all five starters to make an adjustment.

Don’t buy for a second Matt Harvey’s scintillating start this afternoon had anything to do with the attention piled onto Zack Wheeler. The New York Mets have been saying one of Harvey’s signature attributes is his focus. Harvey said the same thing with his “24-hour rule,’’ in which he gives himself a day to think about his performance, good or bad.

In doing so, he’s also telling us he’s about concentration, not letting little things get to him and being single-minded in purpose. He wouldn’t be doing any of that if he used Wheeler’s promotion as a motivational tool. And, the flip side is also true in that Wheeler has enough on his mind than to attempt to equal Harvey’s performance.

The two just aren’t related. It’s a nice story, but there’s nothing to it, simply talkshow and backpage fodder.

Harvey admitted after the game he was running out of gas and probably shouldn’t have gone out for the eighth. A couple of starts ago Harvey didn’t say anything until it was too late he had tweaked his back. I appreciate Harvey’s desire to stay in the game and compete, but eventually he’ll have to trust his teammates.

Harvey has shown to be a special talent with as bright a future as any young Met pitcher, including Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden, but he can’t do it alone.

Hopefully, Wheeler shows that tonight. He said he’s not a savior, but much is expected of him. Wheeler was not dominant in Triple-A, and had some physical ailments this year in a blister problem, strained oblique in spring training and missed one start with a tender shoulder. Wheeler wasn’t going to be promoted until his Super Two status was no longer an issue, but even with that no longer an issue, there’s question of him being ready.

Nobody can realistically expect Wheeler to equal Harvey’s performance. For tonight to be successful for him you’d like to see him refine his command, as his velocity won’t be an issue. You’d like to see him work out of trouble and minimize the damage when he can’t.

Oh, and one other thing, when tonight is over, let’s hope Wheeler doesn’t say it was just another game. It is not. Tonight is the first of what could the first of many in what the Mets are hoping will be a long career.

It’s not important that Wheeler becomes the second Harvey, or Gooden, or Seaver. Let’s just hope he becomes the first Zack Wheeler.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and I will attempt to answer them. Please follow me on Twitter @jdelcos

Zack Wheeler could make his Mets’ debut next Friday at Citi Field against the Chicago Cubs reports ESPN.

The Mets have delayed Wheeler’s promotion because of his Super Two status as much as anything. By doing this, they will delay his arbitration eligibility by a year until after the 2016 season. He will become free-agent eligible after the 2019 season.

Wheeler is 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 11 starts at Triple-A Las Vegas. He is scheduled to start tonight at Tacoma.

The Mets have not said who will be bounced from the rotation between Jeremy Hefner and Dillon Gee, both of whom have pitched well recently. Shaun Marcum, who will make $4 million this season, has been the least effective starter.

The Mets have a doubleheader scheduled for June 18 at Atlanta, so the decision could be set back.